Probable cause
The delayed remedial action by the flight instructor during a simulated autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.
NTSB analysis
After the flight instructor initiated a simulated autorotation during an instructional flight, he instructed the student pilot to perform a power recovery. However, the student pilot delayed increasing the power, and the rotor rpm decayed. The flight instructor realized that it was too late to make a full recovery, so he took the flight controls and leveled the helicopter for touchdown and pulled the collective. The helicopter landed hard in a soft field, which resulted in damage to the tail rotor and main rotor blades. The flight instructor stated that he deviated from his normal procedure for recovery from a simulated forced landing and that, if he had used the procedure, the accident may not have happened.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN13LA523 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Aug 28, 2013
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Wichita Falls, Texas
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Bell-Transworld Helicopter Cor 47G-2
- N-number
- N8051E
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1979
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.